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GOP Still Pushing Retroactive Immunity for Telecoms
While House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) presides over negotiations on the new surveillance bill, House Republicans have continued to push the Senate's version, which contains retroactive immunity for the telecoms, every which way they can.
Earlier this week, they tried to convince moderate Dems that it really was in their best interest (sub. req.):
"This is an opportunity for the 21 Blue Dog Democrats who signed a letter supporting the bipartisan, Senate-passed FISA bill to prove that they are serious about America's national security," said Michael Steel, House Minority Leader John Boehner's (R-Ohio) spokesman. "Will they choose to protect their constituents or will they back the Democratic leadership in kowtowing to trial lawyers and liberal special interests?"
Meanwhile, Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA) (yes, that Jerry Lewis) will try to tack on the Senate's bill to the war supplemental spending bill. As The Politico notes, the Dems on the appropriations committee will likely vote that down, but "at the very least, he would put members of the majority on the record rejecting the Senate bill, something Republicans have done repeatedly."
So far the moderate Dems have held strong to the Dem leadership's position that retroactive immunity is off the table. Hoyer has said that he hopes that negotiations will result in a new bill by late May. Regardless, the next showdown is likely to take place before August, when the wiretaps authorized under the Protect America Act will actually begin to lapse. So we'll see what happens then.
Josh
Zachary
American Future Fund is running an ad this week in Roll Call with a scary picture of Pelosi and bin Laden. I think we can assume the DCI Group is tapping the telecoms for contributions to AFF.
April 25, 2008 11:39 AM | Reply | Permalink
Mrs. Panstreppon has spent a good amount of time probing the "American Future Fund."
Her facts strongly estblish a relationship between Rove-linked communications/lobbying/fundraising/astroturf "DCI Group" and the usual coalition of GOP moneymen and black bag operatives who promote the RNC's agenda and the GOP's candidates magically without the "coordination" that is expressly illegal under McCain Feingold.
American Future Fund is a 501(c)4 nonprofit, the organization of choice for GOP illicit dollars in the 2008 race - because donors don't have to be disclosed. The only caveats - no coordination with campaign committees - and no mentioning of candidate names.
On their honor, of course.
April 25, 2008 12:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks, C92. My remark about the DCI Group running American Future Fund was an offhand one. My evidence that the DCI Group is behind AFF is, so far, circumstantial.
What we do know is that AFF president, Nicole Schlinger, and AFF advisor, David Kochel, worked for the Romney campaign as well as Jim Nussle's failed 2006 gubernatorial bid.
Nussle was a long time Iowan congressman and is now director of the OMB.
Brian Kennedy, another Iowan who worked for both of those campaigns, is a DCI Group exec. But Kennedy is more well known as the co-founder of the 527, Progress For America.
In 2005, Kennedy made a failed primary bid for an Iowan congressional seat.
Steven P. Greiner, DCI Group partner, was Nussle's senior campaign advisor during the gubernatorial campaign.
April 25, 2008 4:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
I forgot to add that David Kochel was DCI Group executive vice-president from 1998 to 2002.
April 26, 2008 3:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ethics . . . Inbreeding . . .
April 25, 2008 11:40 AM | Reply | Permalink
When can/does Lewis report to prison?? Today is not soon enough.
April 25, 2008 12:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
No immunity without transparency. We have to know what you did before we can decide whether or not you can be made immune for it. If it was done in our name, we must know what crimes we are being asked to absolve. It would be irresponsible for us not to demand to know first. It may be that the crimes are simply unpardonable, but we the American people should be the judge of that.
April 25, 2008 2:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
Please, Let the "Protect America Act" expire. FISA is sufficient to "Protect America".
The only purpose of the "Protect America Act" is to gain knowledge which can either be used against us or to gain an economic advantage over us.
The Telecoms do not need immunity, that is a misleading farce. Can anyone imagine their lawyers not covering their asses when a government flunky approaches their company with requests which are of questionable legality?
It is the Bush Administration which desperately needs the immunity they are requesting.
It would be interesting to see what would happen if the Democrats would offer immunity to the telecoms in return for the declassification of all negotiations and agreements made between the Bush Administration and the Telecoms since January 19, 2001.
April 25, 2008 4:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
August, eh? By then, only four months left in the criminal enterprise posing as a presidency to which no one will be listening at that point. Let it all lapse.
I wish we would vet candidates on answers to questions of liberty, and what they intend to do about torture, warantless 100% data mining, justice tampering, and what position their DoJ will take on these obvious crimes.
War crimes indictments Feb 2009 when pardons can help no one. No more obliteratti. Time is short.
Pax,
M.
April 26, 2008 3:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
The DNC wants to support violations of the Constitution. Time for the public to discuss a new system of oversight for the US government.
April 26, 2008 4:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
A Congressional decision to grant immunity, without fact finding, and circumventing the court, is more of the same: Speedy action without careful consideration of the facts. This happened in re Iraq WMD. There is no reason for Congress in 2008 to continue with this mindlessness. If Congress supports this absurdity, the American public should revoke >/a> it's support of Congress. We can redefine the oversight for the US government.
April 26, 2008 5:02 PM | Reply | Permalink